Nesarian Empire
Nesarian Empire Note: Not to be confused with Nesaria. The Nesarian Empire (also referred to just as "the Empire") is a federal constitutional monarchy which borders Russia to the north and west, Kazakhstan to the east, and the Black Sea to the south. Its official name is the Nesarian Empire, so both words are capitalised (not "Nesarian empire"). The continent it belongs to is ambiguous and a hotly debated topic. The Nesarian Empire was first formed in 58BC after the Republican War by Emperor Mathados IV, then broken again during the Nesarian War of Succession, and reformed by Emperor Athdus III. Until the conquests of Athdus from 77AD onwards, Nesaria and the Nesarian Empire were considered to be one and the same. The different countries within the Empire (referred to as the "Imperial countries") were managed as autonomous regions and eventually became devolved governments in 1534, when the Empire adopted the federal style of government that it has today which gives the different countries very high autonomy. The Imperial countries have a very high degree of autonomy over their own laws and governments, with each country having its own constitution, anthem and sports teams. The Imperial Government, led by the Emperor, manages Imperial Laws and controls the armed forces (apart from the Osdarthian Guard). It takes taxes from the Imperial countries for the armed forces, redistribution of wealth from richer countries to poorer ones, the emergency services, and general administration. This system has existed since the Bloodless Revolution in 1980 (before that, the Imperial Government had significantly more control over the different countries within the Empire). The Empire's state religion is Elveta, however the countries within the Empire have their own state religion and the Imperial Government does not seek to impose Elveta upon the non-Elvetan population. In most aspects it functions like a secular state, however the Emperor holds the title "Defender of the Elvetan Faith" and Elvetan priests and the Ticae Baca (Holy Book) are often consulted in policy making. Additionally, the Imperial Inquisition, an Elvetan holy order, has technically absolute power over life and death in its pursuit to find and punish those responsible for "heresy, corruption and other evil deeds". Execution is a common penalty in the Empire for serious crimes such as mass murder and rape. Avamoria and Osdarth are the only countries in the Empire to not use the death penalty. Avamoria has never used the death penalty, but Osdarth abolished it in 1980 with the Bloodless Revolution. Surveys show that the majority (60-70%) of Osdarthians want it back. The Nesarian Empire has been criticised for a number of war crimes and human rights abuses, but compared to other imperialist powers it is generally seen as honourable and benevolent, not least for its hardline approach to the destruction of slavery and the autonomy it gave conquered peoples. Imperial Countries The Imperial Countries are the countries that constitute the Nesarian Empire. They are also often referred to as the "constituent countries" or "constituent nations". The map is a simplified depiction of the Empire's subdivisions, and where the Imperial Countries are within the Empire, with mountain regions greyed out. In the order they were integrated into the Empire, the Imperial Countries are as follows: * Nesaria (purple on map) * Estemoria (light green on map) * Osdarth (red) * Avamoria (azure) * Draconia (orange) * Elavita (turquoise) * Indissia (yellow) * Drazak (dark red) Demographics At the last census in 2018, the population of the Nesarian Empire was recorded as 82,542,269. A large amount of this population lives in several key cities, and much of the rest of the country is rural and sparsely populated. This number is only slightly larger than the previous census result in 2010, which was 81,427,662, a sign of the low population growth across the Empire. In order from most populous to least populous, the populations of each constituent country of the Empire (at the 2018 census) are as follows: * Nesaria - 24,014,320 * Osdarth - 20,306,054 * Indissia - 16,118,305 * Avamoria - 6,498,573 * Estemoria - 6,032,067 * Elavita - 4,174,980 * Draconia - 3,844,206 * Drazak - 1,563,800 Religion Ranked in order of most common to least common, the religions of the Nesarian Empire are: * Elveta * Christianity * Kadinto (Kanidinto branch) * Nakkalism (Allisi branch) * Naturakhva * Draconic Religion * Morrokhi * Islam There are a few small communities of Zoroastrians in southern Estemoria, and there is a very small number of religions coming from immigrants such as Judaism, Hinduism et cetera. Cisetism is a banned religion but is still practiced by some. Atheism has a very small presence, at about 1-2%, but it has been rising since the Bloodless Revolution and the subsequent westernisation of the country. Greatest extent The Nesarian Empire reached its greatest territorial extent from 1917 (after victory in the Greco-Turkish War) to 1918 (after defeat in the First World War), although it had been the second-largest empire since 1825 (after victory in the Great Russo-Nesarian War). Pictured to the right is the map of the Nesarian Empire during this period. During this period, it was the second-largest empire at the time (beaten by the British Empire), the third-largest empire in history (beaten by the British and Mongol Empires) and the second-largest contiguous land empire in history (beaten by the Mongol Empire). The Empire fragmented several times from 1825-1918 (Nesarian Civil War, Estemorian Uprising and Persian Uprising), but all rebellions were successfully defeated by the Imperial Government. It only expanded a tiny amount (Greco-Turkish War) during this period due to the long-term devastation from the Nesarian Civil War and the difficulties that naturally come from managing an extremely large empire. Ex-Empire states These countries used to be part of the Empire. After WW2, some were incorporated into the USSR directly, some became USSR puppet states and some became completely independent. *Afghanistan *Armenia *Azerbaijan *Georgia *Iran *Kazakhstan *Kyrgyzstan *Tajikistan *Turkmenistan *Uzbekistan More than half of Russia was also briefly under the control of Nesaria, but this had little cultural or ethnic influence on the inhabitants. The only genetic impact which the Nesarian Empire had had on Russia was exterminated during the Nesarian Genocide. The only lasting impact that the Empire had on this territory was the "Nesaria to Korea" railway (which actually went to Vladivostok, not Korea), one of the longest in the world. It was destroyed during WW1, but was restored in the 1990s when Russia and Nesaria reconciled their differences and for the first time became allies rather than enemies (see foreign relations for more information). Sports Sports and sporting competitions have been a staple of Imperial culture for centuries, a tradition which has continued strong into the modern day, where sporting competitions are larger than ever. The Empire runs internal competitions to determine which sportsmen will be part of the national team, and then sends off the national team to compete in various competitions. Such a system is official and regulated for the football, rugby, cricket and ice hockey teams, and other sports - though unofficial - usually follow the same model. The Empire of course has several sports of its own making; Calecuda, Spiobela, Jousting and Armed Martial Arts (AMA). Calecuda and Spiobela are generally also popular across the ex-Imperial countries and in Greece and Russia, whereas Jousting only has a minor presence outside the Empire, and AMA has a small but rapidly growing presence. Many sporting competitions happen at the same time during the Imperial Games, the most prestigious internal competition of the Empire which is usually the one that decides who goes into the national teams. While it is debatable whether or not the Empire is in Europe, the Nesarian Empire as a whole participates in European rather than Asian international tournaments such as the UEFA Champion's League. The Nesarian Empire also hosts many motorsport championships, having some of the most famous tracks and most prestigious tournaments in the world. Military The Nesarian Empire has 350,000 active personnel and 455,200 reserves. It spends $70bn per year on defence. The Empire is renowned for its long and tough (but very effective) training program, which creates a highly skilled military (at the cost of higher spending per soldier and more time spent training). There are plans to expand the military to at least 400,000 active personnel and 500,000 reserves by 2020. The Empire has 166 warships, of which 30 are submarines. The Empire has 809 operational aircraft, of which 411 are planes and 398 are helicopters. The Empire has 350 nuclear warheads at its immediate disposal, and 50 more in reserve. The Empire uses both nuclear submarines and conventional land-based missile silos. These land-based silos are currently geared towards Israel and Turkey. The Nesarian military uses the same ammunition as Russia (5.45x39mm and 7.62x39mm), which was agreed in 2004. Many Nesarian firearm, AFV and aircraft designs are also based on Russian designs, and some of the equipment is bought directly from Russia. However, there are also several AFV and aircraft designs based on British designs. Separatism Separatist sentiment exists in every country in the Empire, but only to a limited extent. At the last survey in 2018, the country with the most popular separatist movement was Indissia, where approximately 25% of the population support independence. Unsurprisingly, the country with the least popular movement is Nesaria itself, where only around 1% of the population supports independence. A movement which has far more significant support is to change the name of the Nesarian Empire, the most popular name being the United Empire (which in Nesarian is Alvosi Regatinos). This movement is popular outside of Nesaria (the last survey showing between 60% and 90% support, varying with region) but, unsurprisingly, has very little support within Nesaria. With just over 1900 years of unification, the various countries of the Empire have grown close. While there was a deliberate attempt to retain the individuality of each nation of the Empire, there was also a deliberate attempt to unite them behind a common Imperial identity, the Empire operating with a policy that was at once both federalist and assimilationist. The Imperial people of course have significant differences between them, but they are united by shared core values and ideas, and to some extent shared traits. This is a key reason as to why support for independence is so low across the Empire, but the other main reason is that, being united for over 1900 years, the economies of the Imperial countries are closely integrated and interlinked, and separation would likely result in an economic catastrophe. Flag The Imperial Flag is a gold sun surrounded by a gold wreath atop a purple saltire on a white background. This is the same as the flag of Nesaria, but the saltire is thicker and the wreath is not present in the Nesarian flag. * The saltire shape represents crossed swords, and the purple colour represents the monarchy and the Imperial state. These two symbols together represent the Emperor's dedication to defending the Empire and its people. * The white background represents purity and truth. * The gold sun is taken from the symbol of King Yakela, the chief deity in the Elvetan pantheon. * The wreath represents victory or supremacy. The gold colour here is purely aesthetic and has no symbolic value. The Imperial Flag has been flown by the Imperial state continuously for just under 1900 years, making it the oldest flag still in active use by a huge margin - the second oldest flag, that of Denmark, was adopted in 1625, making it just under 400 years old. Originally, the Empire used the flag that is now the flag of Nesaria, before the current Imperial Flag was adopted by Emperor Athdus III a few years before his death in 137. Athdus came up with the idea together with his wife Avemiri, as they believed that if the other people of the Empire were forced to use the flag of the Nesarian people, they would always feel secondary to Nesaria and not part of a united Empire - although many still continue to resent the fact that this flag is essentially just the Nesarian one with a thicker saltire and a laurel wreath added. Replacement Flags There are a number of candidates for replacing the Imperial Flag, the most popular of which are listed here, in order from most popular to least popular. The supporters of a flag change are also usually the ones who support changing the name of the Empire. Golden Shield The "Golden Shield" is the most popular candidate to replace the Imperial Flag. It is, essentially, the same as the flag of Nesaria but with a golden shield in the place of the Sun of Yakela, also sporting the thicker saltire found on the incumbent Imperial Flag. The shield adds to the imagery of the Emperor's defence of his people, and the golden colour broadly represents value and power - i.e. that the Empire is something valuable worth protecting. Plain Saltire The flag following in a close second is the "Plain Saltire", which removes the central symbol from the flag entirely and just has the purple saltire on a white background. This removes any connotations to Elveta or the Elvic people, and makes more clear the imagery of the saltire. This flag is in fact already the current naval standard of the Empire and has been since 1511, and adopting this flag as the Imperial Flag would add to the recognisability of the naval standard.